KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is expected to issue a reply next month to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on shortcomings in managing the Covid-19 outbreak.
"We expect to get a reply in December. The ministry will be (addressing) the recommendations the PAC made following the report," PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin told reporters at a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 14).
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Mas Ermieyati also said there were no plans to call former health minister Dr Adham Baba as yet as the issues highlighted in the PAC report occurred during his tenure.
"So far, none will be called (to provide statements to the PAC). This is only feedback from our recommendations based on the PAC report. That is all," she said.
On Oct 30, the PAC tabled a report in Parliament revealing the procurement of unusable ventilators via WhatsApp, expiry of vaccines and excess purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE).
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A total of 104 out of the 136 ventilators supplied by Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd (PLSB) to the Health Ministry in May 2020 – procured for Covid-19 patients through WhatsApp at a cost of RM24.1mil – ended up being unusable.
Among the recommendations of the bipartisan committee is that the ministry re-examine the warranty status of the ventilators and take action against those responsible.
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The PAC also recommended that the ministry implement proper documentation for transactions, even during times of health emergencies.
Mas Ermieyati had previously said the ministry would have two months to reply to the committee’s recommendations.
